S'pore flat owner jailed for harbouring illegal immigrant

SINGAPORE - A flat owner who harboured an illegal immigrant was sentenced to seven months imprisonment on Oct 17.

Mariam Bte Abdullah, 50, was arrested on Oct 9 after officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) discovered that her tenant was a Bangladesh national who had remained in Singapore illegally.

He was previously paying Mariam a monthly rental of $250 to stay at her unit in Sims Drive.

The 23-year-old immigration offender was sentenced to 10 weeks' imprisonment and five strokes of the cane on Oct 24.

A statement issued by the ICA reminded homeowners to exercise due diligence in checking the status of their prospective foreign tenants.

Those who wish to rent their premises to foreigners are required to conduct the three mandatory checks:

(a) Check his/her ORIGINAL immigration/work pass; (b) Cross check the particulars on his/her pass against the particulars on his/her ORIGINAL passport; and (c) Verify the validity of his/her pass by checking with the issuing authority (either ICA for student's pass and visit pass or the Ministry of Manpower for work passes). You can also verify the validity of the immigration passes using the ICA online system, iEnquiry, which is available through the ICA website at www.ica.gov.sg.

Under the Immigration Act, homeowners who are found guilty of harbouring immigration offenders may be sentenced to an imprisonment of between six months and two years, and a fine not exceeding $6,000 or to both.